


killing me one by one

by Hyunwooooos



Series: reworked fics [2]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Bad Humor, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Not Beta Read, Post-Break Up, Slow Burn, Weirdness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:41:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28778472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hyunwooooos/pseuds/Hyunwooooos
Summary: Kihyun sends his grocery lists to his ex's phone number. It normally works since hyungwon has had him blocked since the breakup.Its pretty great - until hyungwon responds.
Relationships: Chae Hyungwon/Yoo Kihyun
Series: reworked fics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924249
Comments: 18
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Uh hi? 
> 
> This is written on my phone. Sorry for how messy it is. Not beta'd. 
> 
> Title stolen from bring the horizon

Once upon a time, kihyun dated hyungwon. It got messy and they broke up - not something that he had wanted, but ultimately had no control over. 

The aforementioned breakup lead to hyungwon blocking him everywhere - insta, twitter, kakaotalk, his actual phone number - you named it, kihyun was blocked. 

_oh well,_ kihyun thought, _shit happens._. 

Kihyun also had a really old phone - one that did not let him save little notes to himself as reminders. So instead of being a normal person and asking friends to remind him or to just _get a new fucking phone_ as minhyuk said, he texted hyungwon's number.

He was blocked, it was safe. 

To: _hot ex hyungwon 🔥  
get eggs  
pay rent or hyunwoo will kick you out  
buy choco for honey _

After that, he shut off his phone and went to work, to some dingy little coffee shop close to the university; hyungwon had introduced him to the place - and its owner Hoseok, which lead him to hyunwoo, his current flatmate. 

Hoseok and hyunwoo were in some weird on again off again, fuck buddy, best friend relationship that kihyun didn't think he would ever understand. Not that he wanted to. 

"Kihyun-ah, you're late!" He heard hoseok yell from the back of the shop. 

"What, by like five minutes?" Kihyun rolled his eyes and tied his black apron around his back. Hoseok walked out. 

"Try a half hour, asshole." 

Kihyun sighed and shrugged. "Sorry boss." 

"I should fire you." 

He snorted. "You won't." Hoseok rolled his eyes and headed towards the back room again, middle finger raised in place of a verbal response. 

"Oh!" Hoseok stuck his head back out. "I'm leaving early for date so you have to lock up for me." 

"Is 'date' code for 'getting railed by hyunwoo'?" 

He started to laugh at his own joke until hoseok smacked him the back of the head. Kihyun rubbed the sore spot and looked back at hoseok, who was pointing a finger at him, eyes wide. 

"Don't be a dick." 

A customer walked in before he could respond. 

\-- 

Eight hours later and kihyun could finally lock the shitty looking doors at his shitty job. 

Don't get him wrong - he was thankful for hoseok. Not many people would hire their friends high school drop out ex-boyfriend - but hoseok did it anyway. He paid well, almost too well and kihyun would be suspicious if he bothered to care. 

It kept a roof over his head (even though hyunwoo paid 3/4 of the rent), food in his table and a cell phone that stayed on, no matter how old the phone was in the first place. 

Kihyun felt around his pockets for his phone, holding the power button to turn it on. He tapped his foot impatiently as it loaded all his applications. _maybe I should get a new one_ he thought to himself. 

He looked down and his heart sunk to his feet. 

From: _hot ex hyungwon🔥  
what the hell is this?_

To: _hot ex hyungwon 🔥  
woah when did you unblock me?  
i write grocery lists here_

From _hot ex hyungwon 🔥  
i can always block you again?_

To: _hot ex hyungwon 🔥  
what? no  
how are you? _

Kihyun could've smacked himself. "Ugh, you idiot. He blocks you and you just fall back into talking to him?" He continued to berate himself as he counted down the cash drawer. 

He checked his phone again, disappointed when there was no response from hyungwon. Kihyun ran a hand through his hair, causing loose ends to stick up haphazardly. He knew he couldn't go home tonight - not unless he wanted to see hoseok's ass everywhere. 

Which, while hoseok was hot, kihyun did not want to see him like that _ever again_. 

He hit his speed dial and raised the phone to his ear. 

" _hey ugly! What's up?_ " 

Kihyun felt his eyes roll. _fucking minhyuk_. "Can i come over?" 

" _Hm, yep._ " There was shuffing in the background, then a giant crash, followed by a 'you fucking idiot!' Minhyuk chuckled. " _Kyun and Honey are here._ " 

"I'll be there in 15 minutes." He said then abruptly hung up the phone. 

Kihyun threw on his threadbare hoodie, pulled the hood over his head and picked up hoseok's spare shop keys, threading his finger through the key ring. He spun the keys around his finger as he walked to the door, his other hand holding his phone. 

He was locking the door when his phone went off. 

From: _hot ex hyungwon 🔥  
you still at hoseok's shop?_

Kihyun raised his eyebrows, then furrowed them. "What do you planning, chae hyungwon?" He ignored the anxiety in his gut as he slowly typed back. 

To: _hot ex hyungwon 🔥  
yeh, why? _

From: _hot ex hyungwon 🔥  
Wait for me? _

Confused but annoyingly interested, kihyun waited.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Fake dating au. Yeah, i didn't expect it either. 
> 
> Not beta'd, written on my phone. Please do your best to ignore any mistakes.

Hyungwon was out of Kihyun's league and he didn't say that for sympathy sake - he said it because it was _true_. Kihyun had worn the same hoodie for literal _years_ ; it was his last extravagant purchase before he dropped out of university and hyungwon - dear sweet, naive hyungwon - would buy him new clothing on a whim. And of course, kihyun being kihyun, would refuse to wear it. 

Its not like he flaunted having money, hyungwon just thought it was normal. Whereas kihyun was suprised if he had more then 50 bucks in his bank account any given day. 

And hyungwon _hated_ it. He wanted to help kihyun, make sure he was taken care of - and kihyun being stubborn as he was, refused to accept any of it. 

_"I'm your boyfriend, not your sugar baby."_ Something kihyun yelled at hyungwon constantly about, which led to multiple fights and then to the inevitable, firey end to the most complicated relationship kihyun ever had. 

Still, he missed him. 

Which is why kihyun really didn't hesitate when hyungwon asked him to stay at the coffee shop - there was a time where he would've dropped everything for hyungwon and of kihyun was really honest with himself, he still would. 

Hence the dilemma he was currently in. 

Kihyun promised himself to wait 10 minutes - only 10, and then he would leave, head to minhyuk's and drink enough to forget hyungwon contacted him in the first place. 

But ten minutes came and went, and kihyun still waited. 

To: _hot ex hyungwon 🔥  
are you coming or are you wasting my time _

He stared at the text a bit, waiting, hoping for a reply. Instead he saw a glaring _read_. Kihyun huffed in annoyance and disappointment. 

"Fuck me, right?" Kihyun sighed. "Should've known better." Kihyun shook his head, grabbed the shop keys out of his pocket and walked through the front doors, turning to lock the shop behind him. 

"What're doing?" Kihyun jumped at the deep voice that spoke somewhere over his left shoulder, immediately calming when he realized he recognized it. Kihyun layed his head against the door, took a breath and took the key out if the lock on the door, his hand laying limply at his side. 

"Hyungwon, you shithead." He said before turning around to face him. 

_god, he looked good._. 

Hyungwon was effortlessly beautiful - from the top of styled air to his immaculate clothes - he took Kihyun's breathe away and he swore he fell in love all over again. 

Hyungwon laughed - _unfairly attractive bastard_ kihyun thought, before ignoring it - he placed a hand on kihyun's shoulder before speaking. "Sorry about that, I couldn't resist." 

Kihyun rolled his eyes. "What did you want?" 

Hyungwon shrugged. "You can't go home tonight can you?" He spoke as if he had been informed of - 

"Hoseok, the bastard." Kihyun spoke without thinking, "He told you about his dick appointment, then?" Hyungwon nodded, a smile still gracing his face. 

"He was never discreet about uh, " he clicked his tongue as if he was trying to find the tactful way to finish his sentence. " _spending time_ with hyunwoo, and figured you could use some company." 

Kihyun narrowed his eyes. "Why?" 

Hyungwon raised his eyebrows. "Why? Why what? Can't I want to hang out with you?" 

"No," he said, clearly suspicious. "Tell me the truth." 

Hyungwon a hand through his perfect hair, before he leveled his eyes at kihyun. "Come get dinner with me and we can talk." He walked away from the shop door, assuming the other would follow. When he didn't immediately heard footsteps behind him, hyungwon turned his head. "You coming or what?" 

Kihyum grabbed his phone, shot a text to minhyuk about not coming over. He shrugged, shoving his hands in his pocket. "Guess so." 

\--  
Hyungwon led him to some shitty diner they used to go to when they were dating - well it looked awful, but kihyun loved it. A sweet old lady and her two sons ran the place and always welcomed him, often giving him food for free when he couldnt afford it. 

Kihyun tried to come as often as he could when he had some extra money to spend. 

They had been sitting together for a while, in semi comfortable silence before kihyun spoke. "So whats the deal? Why'd you come?" 

Hyungwon squirmed in his seat, instsntly looking uncomfortable. 

That in and of itself was strange, as kihyun had never seen hyungwon get himself into a situation that he could not comfortably get himself out if. 

"Well." A pause. "You see -" Another pause. 

"Oh my god, hyungwon. Spit it the fuck out." 

Hyungwon glared at him - he never really liked when kihyun cursed, another of the myriad of reasons they didnt work as a couple. "Shut up," he looked around. "You're going to offend people." 

Kihyun couldn't tell if he was joking or not. "Whatever, they love me here." He threw his fork down. "What do you want?" 

"I need you to date me -" he raised up his hands defensively, "not like, _real_ date." 

"Fake date." Kihyun said, tone flat. 

"Look, I know its not ideal but my parents - christ, my parents expect me to bring someone with me," Hyungwon started stammering. "Ugh, and hoseok can't do it this time, 'cause hes too busy -" 

"Fucking hyunwoo, got it." Kihyun supplied helpfully. 

"Yeah, that." He breathed out slowly, massaging his temples. "I have no one else to ask." 

Kihyun was still not convinced. "No one," he let out a sound of disbelief. "Really?" 

In his eyes, Hyungwon was too much of a total package to not have people lining up to date him. Kihyun crossed his arms and leaned back into his chair, looking down at the table. "I'm really you're only option?" 

"Yes." He spoke with finality and desperation. 

Kihyun uncrossed his arms, taoped a few of his fingers onto the table and raised his head to look at hyungwon. "If I say yes, what do I get out of it?" 

Hyungwon's mouth dropped open slightly as his eyebrows raised in mild shock. "You'd do it - really -," he coughed. "Anything you want." 

Kihyun screwed up his face before forcing it to relax. He thought for a beat. _anything I want_. 

"Hm, okay. I'm in."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao i dont know where im going with this anymore. Its a slow burn though. 
> 
> Written on my phone so not beta'd.

The deal was for two weeks and because hyungwon had such impeccable timing in all things, they had to leave the next day. 

"I hate you so much," kihyun said, "So fucking much." 

They had been walking together for a good twenty minutes - the goal being kihyun's apartment. Being with hyungwon was easy and kihyun just _missed_ it. It made him nostalgic for how things used to be and - _no, don't think about what if's._. 

Hyungwon chuckled. "No you don't." 

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, I don't." Kihyun fumbled with his keys in his pocket, feeling a mild sense of deja vu, before turning to hyungwon who stood closely behind him. He handed the keys to the other man. "You go in first." 

Hyungwon narrowed his eyes. "Why?" 

"It's your fault I have to come back here in the first place and honestly? I'd rather not risk walking into something disgusting." Kihyun forced the keys into hyungwon's hand, pushing the taller man slightly closer to the door. 

"Disgusting? Wha-?" Realization hit hyungwon like a freight train. "Oh no. _They're_ in there. I totally forgot." 

"Yep." Kihyun crossed his arms and leaned on the wall next to the apartment door. "You knew about their plans before you asked me to meet up. Why are you surprised?" 

"I didn't honestly think I'd get this far." 

Kihyun snorted. "You thought I'd say no?" 

"Definitely." Hyungwon pocketed the keys. "Do you think if I knock loud enough, they'd stop whatever it is they're doing?" He shook his head. "Or should we sneak in and pretend we're blind?" He scratched the back of his head. "Kih? What do you think?" 

Kihyun just looked at him, fondness in his eyes. _he called me kih._ His heart beat a little faster and he hated himself for it. He cleared his throat. "We can definitely sneak past," he said, uncrossing his arms and pushing off the wall. "Oh no, but what if they're in the front room?" 

Hyungwon turned to face kihyun, placing his hands on the shorter's shoulders. "Make a decision, kihyun!" 

"Or you could just walk in and stop creeping in front of my fucking door." Both men jumped at the sound of hyunwoo's aggravated voice. 

At least the door was open now. 

Hyunwoo leaned back on the front door, opening it far enough for kihyun and hyungwon to slip in. "Get in. And be quiet, hoseok is sleeping." 

"Thanks, hyung." 

"Yeah, whatever." Hyunwoo's words were harsh, but his tone was playful. "Pack your shit and get out. You'll be gone for two weeks right?" 

Kihyun nodded in the dim light of the hallway that led to his bedroom, before turning his head quickly to look at hyungwon. "Did everyone know except me, hyungwon? Are you fucking kidding me?" He was livid. 

Hyunwoo made a shushing motion. "Shut. Up. Take you're shitty little argument elsewhere." He paused, listening for footsteps. "If hoseok wakes up, I'll kill both of you." 

Kihyun waved the older man away before walking into his bedroom. He was _pissed_. 

"Look, I know you're mad." Hyungwon started. "But i really didnt know how to ask." 

"Hm, yeah. Unblocking me randomly to ask me to do a huge favor a day before said favor is supposed to start. I can see how fucking difficult that must've been for you." He said, throwing clothes out of his closet onto his bed. "Give me a fucking break." 

Kihyun knew he'd be mad at himself later for not at least _trying_ to organize the clothing, but it felt mildly therapeutic and future him could suffer later. 

It was better then yelling at hyungwon. 

"I need you to help me pick outfits out." Tone flat, any anger from earlier gone. 

Hyungwon sighed before leaning against the closest wall, an attempt to make himself comfortable in the incredibly awkward situation. "Why?" 

"Need to know whats appropriate for your parents." 

"My parents really don't care." Hyungwon answered quickly. 

Kihyun snorted. "Yeah, right." He threw more clothes onto his bed. He knew better then that - most people judged you based on appearances and based off of how hyungwon threw money around, his parents had to be _loaded_. So to kihyun, extra judgy. "I should have a shirt or two you bought me in here." 

"You have stuff I bought you still?" To kihyun he sounded surprised, but he didn't think it was a big deal. He was broke and they were _really _nice clothes. Plus he'd never trash a gift.__

__"Yeah." He pointed to a far corner of the closet. "Somewhere over there, I think." He saw hyungwon smile softly before he turned back to the clothes he was sorting through. He found a few button ups that weren't missing buttons and a few salvageable pairs of jeans that he set to the side._ _

__"You sure you're parents are gonna be okay with me tagging along?" Kihyun was rarely unsure of himself - this was one of those few times._ _

__"Their biggest concern nine months ago was me being gay and their inability to marry me off - you being you will be the least of our problems." Hyungwon sounded aggravated._ _

__"That good, huh?"_ _

__Hyungwon scoffed and kihyun continued. "How are you gonna pass of getting a new boyfriend after hoseok?"_ _

__"Oh. Well." Hyungwon stammered a bit, unsure of what to say. "Hoseok never came as my boyfriend, but they blamed him for my 'gay awakening'," he did the quotes gesture, "but they only saw him as a friend."_ _

__"And you never corrected them?"_ _

__"Nope."_ _

__"So I'm the first boyfriend they're meeting." Kihyun could've smack himself for the 'boyfriend' slip up._ _

__

__

__"Yep."_ _

__"You idiot." Hyungwon shrugged and continued to fold more of kihyun clothes before putting them in a beat up suitcase._ _

__"At least I won't have to pretend that I like you. Even though we broke up."_ _

__Kihyun flustered by hyungwon's words, for once didn't know what to say. Instead, he reverted to just being an asshole._ _

__"Ill be on my best behavior. Promise. " He mock-curtsied while hyungwon threw a shirt at him._ _

__"Wear that one when we meet them."_ _

__\--_ _


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. Just a reminder i write everything on my phone so. Continuity errors, spelling errors and just lots of errors are because of that. I proofread briefly but not enough to catch everything. 
> 
> Thank you for reading this. Really.

Kihyun hated flying. Giant metal tubes with manufactured wings that somehow, through science and sheer speed, get you where you need to go. He didn't _always_ hate flying - but researching plane crashes before an actual flight had convinced him to stay grounded, taking busses and trains whenever he could. Both if which weren't an option, according to hyungwon. 

"tickets were already bought," he had said, totally oblivious to kihyun wanting to crawl out of his own skin. "And no, you're not paying me back, knock it off." So they were here - stuck in an airport at 4 in the morning, waiting in a slow moving line to get through security. Kihyun was exhausted and crabby and he _knew_ he would be on the borderline of being a straight up asshole if he didn't eat something soon. 

The shirt that hyungwon made him wear, a fitted black button up- an uncomfortable purchase that caused more then a few fights during their first few months of dating ( _'this was expensive kih, just wear it!'_ )- was stiff, causing his skin to chafe. It was the first time kihyun had worn it; he had been content to let it hide in his closet, conveniently forgotten. 

Hyungwon, oblivious as ever and looking dead on his feet, was all but leaning on his shoulder, half asleep and drooling. Kihyun gave up on trying to force him off after the first 20 minutes in line. It was nice, hyungwon was _cute_ , if he dared say so. Quietly, privately. 

He'd never say it out loud. 

He felt himself turn red as the line moved ahead, creating a gap that was just large enough for the people behind to complain. Kihyun sighed, annoyed by the impatience of people behind him. 

"Hey," he shook hyungwon lightly at first, before letting out a yell. "Hey! Wake the fuck up!" 

Hyungwon groaned, opening his eyes slightly and if kihyun didn't know any better, he'd assume he was still sleeping. He offered a sleepy smile to kihyun before dragging his luggage behind him, letting the line move ahead. Kihyun felt himself flush red at the smile before he smacked his cheeks in an effort to hide it. _get it together kihyun_. 

"Kihyun-ah, you coming?" Hyungwon voice cracked slightly, evidence of the nap he was just taking. Kihyun nodded, grabbed his luggage and followed quickly. 

\--- 

"Hyungwon what about - " 

"Kihyun, its fine." 

Kihyun was panicking. They were on the plane now, buckled in - early, but he was paranoid and had felt his body erupt into a cold sweat as soon as he sat down - and hyungwon was refusing to indulge him in his worries. 

"Will you please just fucking talk to me?" He whisper yelled, bent over in half, resting his head on his knees. He was in the aisle seat - terrified over the prospect of seeing the ground disappear from the window seat - and he felt multiple people, theyre clothes and theyre bags running into his exposed elbow. These people, while it clearly wasn't their fault, somehow made it worse for kihyun, furthering his fall into his anxiety spiral. Kihyun's eyes started to burn as he further tucked into himself. 

He felt hyungwon before he heard him - a calm, steady hand on his back, and another thrown into kihyun's lap, palm up. Kihyun grabbed it and squeezed it without thinking. 

"I'm sorry," he murmured quietly. "I just really hate planes." 

Hyungwon 'hmmed' at him, before pulling him from his bent postion and laying kihyun against his shoulder, one hand on kihyun's shoulderblade the other still holding his hand. 

"It's okay." Hyungwon repsonded softly. "I'm sorry I forgot about it." 

If kihyun was so terrified he would've been touched by the statement. instead, he burrowed a little further into hyungwon's shoulder. Hyungwon moved again, resting his arm over kihyun's shoulder and gripping kihyuns upper arm lightly. It was nice, grounding. 

His other hand still tightly grasped kihyun's. 

"What can i do to help?" 

They ended up playing some shitty mobile game that could run during airplane mode. But it was enough. 

\-- 

They didn't really talk after the flight landed. 

But honestly, kihyun didn't really know _what_ to say. He was embarrassed, honestly. He ket his anxiety get out of control, he clung to hyungwon, _for fucks sake,_ he said to himself, mentally berating himself for his letting his weakness show. 

And _god_ , it felt so good be in hyungwon's arms again. 

He slapped his cheeks again, to snap out of whatever he felt himself sinking into- nostalgia, comfort, whatever - he didn't need any of that; there was a reason they broke up and needed to remember it. He couldn't fall into hyungwon again. 

And yet - 

"Kihyun-ah! You okay?" Hyungwon had a lazy smile on despite the chaotic atmosphere of the airport itself and when kihyun nodded 'yes', he continued, "you hungry? Lets get some food, okay?" 

They went to the food court in the middle of the airport for something - most likely shitty, half assed, fast food - and the culmination of smells reminded kihyun that he hadn't ate since they went to that shitty diner last night. And jesus had it only been one night since this nightmare began? 

"What do you want?" 

Kihyun glanced around quickly. "Hm, pizza." 

Hyungwon nodded. "Go find a table, I'll be a bit." 

It didn't take long for hyungwon to come back, food in hand. Kihyun, ravenous, demolished the food within minutes. He felt better, clearer, focused - and then he noticed that hyungwon was laughing at him. 

"What?" He asked, wiping the grease from the pizza of his chin. 

Hyungwon shook his head and continued laughing. 

And then kihyun though, it would be so easy to just _fall_ for him again and whats worse, kihyun thought it might already be too late. 

"Ready to go?" Hyungwon stood, patting his hands down his pants in an attempt to look presentable. 

Definitely too late. 

_shit._


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I...don't know what im doing anymore. 
> 
> Sorry for any and all mistakes.

_tap, tap, tap._

"Kihyun." 

_tap, tap, tap._

"Kihyun-ah." 

_tap, tap, tap._

"Yoo Kihyun, I swear to god if you do not stop tapping your foot, I'm gonna break it." 

They were in a car - a really nice one that made him nervous just to _be_ in- on the way to meet hyungwon's parents, and kihyun being kihyun, was anxious as hell. Normally he'd deal with his anxiety by doing _something_ \- cleaning, yelling at hyunwoo _about_ cleaning, fucking some nameless person from a club (normally not nameless and normally named lee minhyuk) - it relieves whatever build up of bullshit he had on his brain at the time. 

And clearly none of these options were available- well, sleeping with someone might, but he _did not_ want to finish that train of thought. 

He was honestly surprised that he had any anxious energy left after the shitty flight situation but yet, here kihyun was, tapping things. It started as a drumming both of his pointer fingers on the door of the car itself and eventually led to tapping his foot to some imaginary rhythm. 

Hyungwon had sighed, dramatically in kihyun's humble opinion, placing a hand over his eyes. 

"What's up your ass, wonnie?" Kihyun asked, staring out the window, an attempt to distract himself, silently hoping that hyungwon didn't pay attention the affectionate nickname. 

Hyungwon rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands before yawning. He blinked his eyes slowly before answering kihyun. "I really, really don't want to do this." 

Kihyun felt oddly hurt by the admission - was helping a mistake? Would they be able fake a relationship for the sake of his parents? And worst off all, would Kihyun be able to ignore any growing...emotional attachment he had to hyungwon? 

"Like, it's not you kih - I'm going to be eternally grateful to you for doing this, especially since I sprung it on you. But _god_ , my parents are the _worst_." 

Kihyun felt the tension in his shoulders loosen as soon as hyungwon finished speaking. _when the fuck did his opinion start to matter so much to me?_ , he had thought to himself before shaking his head and turning to face the other man. "So why are we even here?" Kihyun asked bluntly. 

"They're really good at guilting me." Hyungwon paused, as if to gather his thoughts. "Especially since I moved, double since I met you and the others." 

Kihyun felt his heart start to pound. "What?" 

"Ugh," hyungwon threw his head back, hitting the headrest of the seat. "It's not important, okay?" 

"Hyungwon - " 

"We're almost there," hyungwon spoke quickly and glanced at kihyun. "Straighten your shirt." 

Kihyun rolled his eyes and grumbled. "Asshole." 

Hyungwon offered a thumbs up as the car turned into the drive way.  
\-- 

The house was nice - really, _really_ nice. It was clear how hyungwon couks dress and act the way he did based off of this house, it looked and smelled like rich people. 

Kihyun hated it. He hated that he couldnt reconcile that _this _is what hyungwon came from, that this is where he grew up rather then some shitty apartment downtown. He felt out of place as he attempted to straighten his shirt for the 50th time, slowly creating wrinkles of fabric around his waist.__

__"Why don't you get your jaw off the floor," hyungwon spoke again, sounding annoyed. "Come on kihyun, its not that impressive."_ _

__Except it was that impressive - at least to kihyun. "Dude, I haven't seen or been in a house like this in years, not since -"_ _

__"You dropped out I remember." Hyungwon spoke with a tone that effectively ended the conversation, to which kihyun was grateful. It was always difficult to talk about the time after high school - when his parents died and he had no money to his name. Minhyuk, hoseok and hyunwoo had always told him to never be ashamed of what he had to do to survive. Kihyun had tried for years to swallow any guilt or shame he carried over the years._ _

__He remembered when he told hyungwon, he had expected disgust snd anger, but instead was met with compassion. To say Kihyun had been shocked was an understatement._ _

__Hyungwon motioned for kihyun to follow him up the path to the house, dragging their suitcases behind them. Kihyum felt his stomach drop as he repeated a mantra of _this is not real, you're not here to impress people, you're here to help hyungwon_. _ _

__"So good news," hyungwon stopped walking, letting kihyun catch up. "Both of my parents are at work for the day and won't be back for a few hours." He paused. "So you can take the stick out of your butt thats been there since we left the airport." He smirked, thinking he really out-sassed kihyun._ _

__Kihyun stopped walking, a smile on his face. Hyungwon blanched. "Why are you smiling like a creep?"_ _

__He rested a hand on the taller man's shoulder for a brief moment before grabbing his ear and _yanking_ it, bringing hyungwon's ear down so he could speak into it. _ _

__"Don't be a fucking asshole."_ _

__He let go of hyungwon's ear and let the other man straighten himself._ _

__"You didn't have to pull so hard," he whined, rubbing his ear. "That really hurt kih."_ _

__"Yeah, well. You didn't have to be an asshole." Kihyun gripped his suitcase tightly. "Are we going in or?"_ _

__Hyungwon nodded and moved to open the door, annoyed when it didn't open right away. He tried again, getting more annoyed by the second. He turned to kihyun, mouth tight. "House is locked."_ _

__"It's fucking what?"_ _

__"Locked."_ _

__"Don't you have keys?"_ _

__Hyungwon looked down at his shoes. "Uh yeah, at my apartment."_ _

__"I'm sorry, what?"_ _

__"You heard me."_ _

__Kihyun shook his head in disbelief. "Are you fucking kidding me?"_ _

__Hyungwon refused to meet his eyes. "We're going to have to break in," he walked to the side of the house where a window was, too tall for one person to get to. "Thats always unlocked so I just need to, uh." He grabbed kihyun by the wrist and pulled him closer. "Lift you onto my shoulders."_ _

__"You're a literal walking disaster, you know that?"_ _

__Hyungwon nodded in agreement. "So?"_ _

__"So what?" He pushed hyungwon towards the wall of the house. "Stay still and if you drop me and I die, I will haunt your bitch ass."_ _

__Hyungwon chuckled as kihyun put his hands on shoulders as an effort to steady himself. "here let me - ow! stop trying climb me for one second, _god_ , get your knee out of my back, jesus - stop kihyun!" _ _

__Kihyun stopped struggling against hyungwon. "Let me bend down and i need you to like, piggy back me."_ _

__"Piggy back-"_ _

__"Just do it, kihyun!"_ _

__"Ugh, fine." He stood behind hyungwon, who was knees to the ground. He placed one leg over hyungwon's left shoulder and balanced on his right foot. He knew that without something to lean on, he was going to fall. "Can you like, I don't know, help me balance?"_ _

__"Ah, sure. Where do you need me?" Hyungwon lifted his hands from the ground and around his back, feeling up the back of Kihyun's leg. He felt hyungwon tense, "sorry, is this okay?"_ _

__Kihyun felt his face heat up. He coughed and said, "yeah, that's fine." And with hyungwon's help he got his other leg over the other man's right shoulder. "Hold onto my legs tightly - my threat of haunting you is still valid."_ _

__He felt hyungwon snicker against his leg and then his stomach dropped as hyungwon stood. "All good up there?"_ _

__"Yeah, walk closer to the wall." Kihyun said, reaching his arms out to touch the stones of the wall. He smacked his hand down on the plastic of the window sill, pushing his hands against the glass, forcing the window open. Warm air blew in his face as the window opened bit by bit._ _

__"I've got it open." He spoke calmly, betraying his nerves. Breaking into a house was just not something kihyun thought he'd be doing today. "I need you to boost me up just a little more."_ _

__Hyungwon did just that, pushing kihyun up by his thighs. He steadied himself on the wall just inside of the house and pulled himself inside._ _


End file.
